Abstract: An ultrasonic transmitting/receiving circuit equipped with: a semiconductor circuit element which comprises at least three terminals including a first terminal connected to a plurality of transducer elements that constitute an ultrasonic probe, a second terminal connected to a transmission signal generating circuit, and a third terminal serving as an output terminal of an amplifier of a reception signal from the transducer element, and which has a function of amplifying a signal inputted from one terminal by the other terminal and outputting the amplified signal between at least two terminals among the above-said three terminals; and a control unit which performs control so as to cause the semiconductor circuit element to perform a first function of functioning as a switch for inputting a transmission signal to the transducer element and a second function of amplifying the reception signal received from the transducer element.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus characterized by comprising, a probe which has a transducer and which transmits and receives ultrasonic waves, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body; and a cable through which signals are transmitted and received between the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body and the probe, wherein the probe includes a transmission signal generator that generates an ultrasonic transmission signal, a transmission circuit that amplifies the generated transmission signal, and a transmission phasing circuit that adjusts the timing of the transmission signal.

Abstract: An ultrasound elasticity imaging apparatus includes an elastic data processing section which processes a received signal detected by an ultrasound probe and generates elastic frame data, a display evaluation section which evaluates a display value of the elastic frame data based on various data in the generation of the elastic frame data, a display processing section which performs image processing of the elastic frame data according to the evaluation result by the display evaluation section, and a display section which displays an elastic image based on the elastic frame data processed by the image processing section.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus having an ultrasonic probe configured to transmit and receive an ultrasonic wave, a transmitter for configured to supply a signal to the ultrasonic probe and forming an ultrasonic beam, a receiver configured to receive a reception signal obtained by transmitting the ultrasonic beam to an object, a signal processor configured to form an ultrasonic image on the basis of the reception signal, a display unit configured to display the ultrasonic image, and a control unit configured to control the transmitter, the receiver, the signal processor and the display unit, comprising a setting unit configured to set an operation mode of the transmitter to a low power consumption operation mode or a high spatial resolution operation mode.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is disclosed for improving the signal to noise ratio of a receiving system, and allowing demodulation processing of ultrasonic reflection signals at the transducer during the receive process. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes an ultrasonic probe which transmits and receives ultrasound to and from a subject, a transmitting unit which supplies driving signals to the ultrasonic probe, and a receiving unit which processes signals to be output from the ultrasonic probe and calculates diagnostic information regarding the subject. The ultrasonic probe is equipped with a receiving transducer having sensitivity which changes according to the level of bias voltage to be applied. The receiving unit is equipped with a modulated bias amplification unit which applies signals of bias voltage with modulated amplitude to the receiving transducer.

Abstract: For realization of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus capable of satisfactorily narrowing a beam width while suppressing an increase in the number of focus data, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is designed to include an ultrasonic probe 10 that transmits or receives ultrasonic waves to or from a subject, a transmission unit 12 that supplies a driving signal to the ultrasonic probe 10, a reception unit 16 that handles a received signal sent from the ultrasonic probe 10, a unit 18 that reconstructs an ultrasonic image on the basis of a signal sent from the reception unit 16, and a unit 20 that displays the ultrasonic image. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus further includes an element selection unit 22 that selects a plurality of driving oscillatory elements, which constitutes an aperture through which ultrasonic waves are transmitted or received, from among a plurality of oscillatory elements that constitutes the ultrasonic probe 10 and transforms ultrasonic waves into electric signals or vice versa.

Abstract: This is an image diagnosing support method comprising: an acquisition step of acquiring a plurality of images obtained by imaging the same region of the same object with one or more medical imaging apparatuses and having positional information at the time each of the images was picked up; a selecting step of selecting a first image and a second image out of the plurality of images; a displaying step of displaying the first image and the second image; a step of designating one or more of first reference points on the first image; a step of figuring out second reference points, on the second image, each matching one or another of the first reference points; a first step of extracting for each of the first reference points a first region containing that point within it; and a second step of extracting for each of the second reference points a second region containing that point within it, characterized in that either one of the first step and the second step is performed earlier or both are at the same time.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is disclosed for transmitting ultrasonic waves and receiving echo signals. The apparatus includes an ultrasonic probe having transducers whose sensitivity can be controlled in accordance with bias voltage. Echo signals output from the ultrasonic probe are amplified so that an image can be constructed according to the amplified echo signals and displayed. A probe gain control device is used for controlling the bias voltage in accordance with the elapsed time from receiving the echo and matching the intensity of the echo signal output from the ultrasonic probe with the input range of a preamplifier. During a reception period while a strong echo signal is received from a superficial portion of body surface of an examinee, the reception sensitivity of the ultrasonic probe is controlled so that the echo signal level input to the preamplifier will not exceed the input range of the preamplifier.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present invention includes a signal transmission section, which supplies a driving pulse to a transducer in order to transmit an ultrasonic transmission signal to an object and transmits to the object a non-inverted component and an inverted component of an ultrasonic waveform, and a signal processing section, which removes a fundamental wave component by adding received signals from the object. The signal transmission section includes a switching section which changes an output period within a half period of the transmission signal according to at least one of a load connected to the signal transmission section and amplitude, a frequency, and a wave number output from the transmission circuit.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus characterized by comprising, a probe which has a transducer and which transmits and receives ultrasonic waves, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body; and a cable through which signals are transmitted and received between the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body and the probe, wherein the probe includes a transmission signal generator that generates an ultrasonic transmission signal, a transmission circuit that amplifies the generated transmission signal, and a transmission phasing circuit that adjusts the timing of the transmission signal.

Abstract: An ultrasonic transmitting/receiving circuit equipped with: a semiconductor circuit element which comprises at least three terminals including a first terminal connected to a plurality of transducer elements that constitute an ultrasonic probe, a second terminal connected to a transmission signal generating circuit, and a third terminal serving as an output terminal of an amplifier of a reception signal from the transducer element, and which has a function of amplifying a signal inputted from one terminal by the other terminal and outputting the amplified signal between at least two terminals among the above-said three terminals; and a control unit which performs control so as to cause the semiconductor circuit element to perform a first function of functioning as a switch for inputting a transmission signal to the transducer element and a second function of amplifying the reception signal received from the transducer element.

Abstract: An ultrasonic imaging apparatus is disclosed that is capable of eliminating deterioration of the S/N of the ultrasonic image while suppressing enlargement of the circuit size. The ultrasonic imaging apparatus includes an ultrasonic probe having a plurality of transducers arranged for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves to/from an object to be examined. A transmission unit is provided for supplying a drive signal to each of the transducers, and a reception unit is provided for phasing/adding and receiving a reflected echo signal received by each transducer. The apparatus also includes an image processing unit for reconfiguring an ultrasonic image based on the reflected echo signal received. The transmission unit divides the plurality of transducers into a plurality of groups, supplies a common drive signal to the transducers belonging to the same group, and performs focus control by group units.

Abstract: In order to provide an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus with a transceiver circuit configuration which has a small number of components and is suitable for miniaturization, an amplifier circuit used for both transmission and reception which can be built in an ultrasonic probe and has a function of adding currents of received signals from plural elements is provided in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. In addition, an analog matrix switch (402) for arbitrarily adding received signals from plural transducers is provided. That is, a transmitted and received signal amplifier circuit is shared by using a transceiver circuit section, which is formed by an FET element serving as a source follower circuit, as a gate-grounded amplifier during a signal reception period. The received signals from the transducers which have been amplified by FET elements can be added for each group of arbitrary elements by the matrix current switch (402) formed by plural FET elements corresponding to the respective transducers.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for recognition helpful to diagnosis by giving and displaying a score serving as an index of diagnosis. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprises a displacement measuring section (109) for measuring the displacement of an organism tissue of a subject (100) according to a reflection echo signal received correspondingly when an ultrasonic wave is transmitted from a probe (101) to the subject (100), an elastic image creating section for creating an elastic image after determining the distortion amount or the elastic modulus from the displacement, and an image display (107) for displaying the elastic image. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus further comprises scoring means for specifying the distorted state or elastic state according to the information on the elastic image outputted from the elastic image creating section.

Abstract: A medical imaging diagnosis apparatus for measuring the composite thickness of the tunica intima and the tunica media of a blood vessel of a subject by acquiring image data on the blood vessel. In order to improve the accuracy of the IMT measurement of the composite thickness, the medical imaging diagnosis apparatus has extracting means for extracting the tunica intima and the tunica externa of the blood vessel on the basis of the brightness information of the image data to measure the composite thickness of the tunica intima and the tunica externa of the vessel in reference to the two extracted regions.

Abstract: An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus includes an ultrasound probe which transmits/receives an ultrasound wave with respect to a subject to be diagnosed, an ultrasound wave transmit section which transmits an ultrasound wave for driving the ultrasound probe, a pressing section which applies an external pressure to the subject, a displacement measuring section which obtains two tomographic image data different in time series from a reflected echo signal received from the ultrasound probe and measures a displacement of each part in the subject based on the two tomographic image data, an image generating section which generates an elastic image from elasticity information based on the displacement of each part measured by the displacement measuring section, and a display section which displays the generated elastic image. Further, a pressing decision section decides whether or not the pressing operation by the pressing section is proper.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus having an ultrasonic probe configured to transmit and receive an ultrasonic wave, a transmitter for configured to supply a signal to the ultrasonic probe and forming an ultrasonic beam, a receiver configured to receive a reception signal obtained by transmitting the ultrasonic beam to an object, a signal processor configured to form an ultrasonic image on the basis of the reception signal, a display unit configured to display the ultrasonic image, and a control unit configured to control the transmitter, the receiver, the signal processor and the display unit, comprising a setting unit configured to set an operation mode of the transmitter to a low power consumption operation mode or a high spatial resolution operation mode.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus in accordance with the invention includes: an ultrasonic probe in which multiple ultrasonic vibrators for transmitting/receiving an ultrasonic wave are arranged; a transmitter configured to provide an electric signal to each of the vibrators in the ultrasonic probe, the transmitter providing a square wave signal having any multiple frequency components to the each of the vibrators, causing the vibrators to form an ultrasonic beam; a receiver configured to receive a reception signal obtained by transmitting the ultrasonic beam; and a signal processor configured to form an ultrasonic image based on the reception signal.

Abstract: Ultrasonic diagnostic arrangements (apparatus, methods, etc.) including: an ultrasonic probe or operation for transmitting an ultrasonic wave to an object to be tested and receiving an ultrasonic wave from the object; a transmitter or operation for pulse-driving the ultrasonic probe to transmit an ultrasonic beam to the object; a reception phasing unit or operation for performing phasing on reflected echo signals received by the ultrasonic probe, the reception phasing unit separately performing phasing at multiple phasing frequencies on the reflected echo signals received in response to at least one transmission of the ultrasonic beam; an image generator or operation for generating an ultrasonic image based on the phased received signal.

Abstract: An ultrasound probe includes an ultrasound wave transmit/receive surface coming into contact with a contact surface of a subject, an ultrasound wave transmit/receive section which transmits an ultrasound wave to the subject via the ultrasound wave transmit/receive surface and the contact surface and receives an ultrasound wave reflected in the subject, and a pressing mechanism for performing a pressing operation for applying a pressure to the contact surface perpendicularly to the ultrasound wave transmit/receive surface via the ultrasound wave transmit/receive surface.